How Much Does a Gallon Of Paint Cost?

Paint can be used in many various ways. Whether you’re painting a bedroom, the outside of a home, the deck or even a car, there are so many places that you can put. Since there are so many variables that play a factor when it comes down to the pricing, factors such as the brand, type and more.

How much does a gallon of paint cost?

The average cost of paint will range anywhere from $20 to as much as $100 per gallon.

Lowes has a calculator that can take the dimensions of your room and recommend the right amount of paint that you would need to purchase. For example, a 10′ x 10′ room would require around 3 gallons for the walls, and around 1 gallon to paint the ceilings.

Your Faux and Decorative Pain varies from $12 to as much as $50. A gallon of BEHR Premium Plus costs around $35.

A plain, typical interior paint will vary greatly depending on the brand, as well as the quality preferred. Prices vary anywhere from $10 to $75 a gallon. Brands such as YOLO Colorhouse can run $40 a gallon.

Exterior paint ranges anywhere from $30 to $100. The Insl-X series can be as much as $50+

Paint that is used for marina type items, or your pool range from $30 to $75. A gallon of Insl-X Black paint is $40 a gallon.

Waterproofing paint is usually a little higher compared to most other paints. This paint ranges from $20 to $115. Thompson’s WaterSeal paint is $60 a gallon.

Brand of Paint

Price Range per Gallon

Ace Paint

$31 to $39

Behr

$29 to $35

Benjamin Moore

$48 to $55

California

$39 to $47

Gidden

$38 to $45

Kelly-Moore

$43 to $49

Olympic

$25 to $30

Pittsburgh Paints

$47 to $54

Sherwin-Williams

$44 to $55

Valspar

$30 to $40

YOLO

$37 to $48

NOTE: Most of the averages noted above are for a basic Eggshell paint. The average gallon of paint can cover anywhere from 325 to as much as 450 square feet.

What is going to be included?

If you decide to purchase your paint at a local paint shop such as Home Depot, or Lowe’s, they will mix the paint for your free of charge.

Most will include a wooden stirrer.

How much paint to buy:

Figuring out how much paint you need isn’t really that hard. While each room is going to have windows, doors and trim, it’s best to measure the entire room. Measure the length by width. Multiply this number, and this will be your square footage. So, a wall that is 12 feet wide with 10 foot ceiling, your square footage for that wall will be 120 square feet.

The average gallon of paint can cover at least 325 square feet. For every door and window you have in your room, it’s best to subtract 10 to 15 square feet to play it safe.

Remember that you should always measure ahead of time so that you don’t buy extra gallons. By purchasing extra gallons, you may not be able to return them back to the store where you had purchased them.

What are the extra costs?

Since all painting jobs are different, you will need a brush, a tarp to protect the flooring around you, a mask to protect your lungs from fumes and more. Supplies on top of the paint can cost you $20 to $100+ extra.

Paint samples can commonly cost anywhere from $1 to $5 for a tiny pint sized bucket. These samples are ideal for those that don’t know what type of paint that they want on their walls. Simply brush the paint on the wall to get a good idea on what it’s going to look like.

Customized paints that don’t match up to the colors that are already offered may cost extra. With today’s technology, most of your bigger paint shops can match up paints to just about anything. They will put the color into the machine and the appropriate paint color code will be selected.

Hiring a professional painter can vary in pricing depending on the job. A painter will charge based on the square footage, height of ceiling, the amount of coats and more. Many painters will charge on per day or per job.

How can I save money?

If going to a main chain such as Home Depot, or Lowe’s, look for 10% off coupons on eBay to save 10% on your purchase.

Bigger stores such as Sherwin Williams also have 40% off sales on a monthly basis. This is a great day to take advantage of the savings.

Don’t try to be too cheap with your paints. The cheaper the paint is, the cheaper the quality may be. Studies have shown that paints that are in the mid-grade to higher-end price ranges usually tend to be best in terms of quality.